Dear Doug,

Do you still own that Hammarlund and does it still work? If "yes" to
both questions, why not put up an antenna and try it? See what you hear
on the shortwaves at listening times convenient for you. If you like
what you hear (and I believe you will), then you can determine if the
Hammarlund (and perhaps some of the digital portables you already own)
is sufficient or if you feel that you would like something more modern.

Remember that the Hammarlund, though a very good receiver in its day,
is a single-conversion unit and, today, new dual-conversion receivers
(portables) can be bought for under $100; the dual-conversion Eton E1
(about which I've read pro- and con) is $500 and the triple-conversion
ICOM IC-R75 is about $650. (I own a factory-customized AOR AR7030 Plus
which cost considerably more.) Of course, regarding price, the sky is
the limit. You'd have to determine your own financial "comfort level."

However, the choice to buy or not, based on what is broadcast these
days, would have to be yours. Personally, I find no lack of interesting
broadcasts available on the shortwaves and I believe this situation
will go on for many, many years. But only you can determine if you feel
the same way.

Best of luck,

Joe

P.S. Don't sell that Hammarlund unless you must. If necessary, have it
"fixed-up," aligned and tested, or even totally restored. Hammarlunds
were great receivers and are very collectible today. "Used" prices will
only go up.

Doug Brandon wrote:
I was heavily into shortwave back in the late 70s and up through the
early 90s. While looking around on the internet, I came across some
pages dealing with shortwave. This resparked an interest.

Back in the day I used an old Hammarlund HQ100 along with numerous
digital portables. I am thinking about getting back into it again. My
question is this: With most stations streaming on the Web is it really
that long before there's not much to listen to on SW? From what I've
read, most stations have either left SW or cut their schedules way back.

What do you all think? Is it worth buying new equipment or is the hobby
dying?